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Estreoth/Empire of Hetrea
The Empire of Hetrea, often referred to as the Hetrean Empire or more commonly Hetrea, is a powerful and militaristic nation that spans much of northern Etrothos and a large portion of Haermir. Hetrea is one of the largest and most powerful nations in Estreoth. History Founding The region that makes up the heartland of Hetrea, known as Berakia was originally part of the Kingdom of Morith. This mountainous region was of little interest to the royalty or nobility in Morith and went largely ignored until the 11th century when it was finally explored and mapped. It was during this initial exploration that the legend of a tower rising from a lake at an angle, made their way to Morith. As it would turn out, this tower was a relic from the Ancient Kingdom and would later become the foundation for the modern city of Hetrea. During the later half of the twelfth century, a group known as the Zetriotas Order rose in prominence within Morith's army. The order, unhappy that Morith's political system prevented skilled soldiers from becoming officers, a rank reserved for nobles, demanded reform. Although they were ignored at first, in 1258 the King of Morith banished the entire order and their families from the kingdom. Exiled, the order traveled north into Berakia. It was during their travels that they came across the tower rising from the lake and decided to found a settlement. In the 1270s, Morith authorized settlement of the region. During this time it became known that the Zeriotas Order had settled there. Outraged that exiles were living within the kingdom, in 1280 the King of Morith ordered the settlement razed and the order expelled from the borders. This lead to the Reunification Wars which lasted from 1280 until 1283, ending in a victory for the Zeriotas. In celebration of their victory, they named their settlement Hetrea based on texts from within the floating fortress. Expansion Concerned that Morith would again return to invade them, Hetrea dedicated all their resources to expanding their army. Over thirty years, they expanded their bordered westward and vastly increased their population through expansive farming. Within ten years, Hetrea's population more than tripled. Through hard work and dedication, by 1312, Hetrea's population had grown to three hundred thousand. Despite the rapid growth, Hetrea's society remained dedicated to militarism. During the first decade of the 1300s, Morith attempted to regain control over the Berakia region, however political and economical efforts proved useless. Hetrea, through their rapid expansion, could provide enough food to feed their population and enough armaments to equip their entire army. Morith resulted to military force and marched into the region. Despite being outnumbered, the highly trained military of Hetrea fought the Morithian army to a brutal standstill. Although the two armies were matched, in the end Morith was forced to conceded defeat after a single Hetrea warrior assassinated the Morithian general and cut down a dozen officers during a night raid. Unable to overcome Hetrea, Morith grudgingly accepted their existence. Tensions between the two countries were high, however they would not return to war for several centuries. in that time, Hetrea expanded westward, eventually going to war against Arcasia before expanding northward into Haermir. Government For the most part, Hetrea is a centralized dictatorship where the military and the government are combined. The central governmental authority, known as the Tribunal, holds absolute authority over the country. The Tribunal itself is made of of the twenty-four of the highest ranking officers in the Hetrean military. Overseeing the tribunal is the ruler of Hetrea, known as the Lord. Beneath the tribunal are numerous local authorities controlled by appointed officers. The exception to this system is Haermir, which lacks regional governors. Regional governors are in charge of various civil functions such as tax collecting and policing. The Lord of Hetrea is technically a hereditary profession. This is a recent tradition started after the death of Mazer Helvate. Before that the title Lord of Hetrea was given to the highest ranking officer in the military. However, this lead to numerous assassinations in the top echelons of the military, cheifly by members of the Tribunal. This practice was finally ended by Garoshi Toreta. Although his intention was for the position to be elected by the military officers, his wishes have gone ignored. The tribunal itself is made up of the twenty four most senior generals in the army. On ones death, the next general in seniority is promoted to the previous' seat. Occasionally officers are assassinated by those seeking to gain a tribunal seat for themselves, however this has become a rare act since Toreta's reign. Culture The army is the central of Hetrean life and service is compulsory from age eighteen until thirty for anyone who does not have an exemption. After the age of thirty, soldiers can retire to active duty until their sixty fifth birthday, after which they are officially discharged from service requirements. Many officers remain in the military until compulsory retirement. Military service itself is considered prestigious and many enlist their children in a military academy at a young age to prepare them for military service. Because of their warrior nature, gladiator fights are legal, common, and very popular. Although gladiators are typically prisoners of war or criminals, some willingly become gladiators for fame and money. Since they are paid, gladiators who start off as criminals can sometimes buy their pardon after several years. Most official fights have numerous rules and regulations in place that make death or grievous injury fairly uncommon. This includes rules regarding the sharpness of blades and the weight of blunt weapons. However, there are numerous underground fighting arenas, especially in Haermir, that have no requirements and as such, death and dismemberment is much more common. Although the military often acts against illegal gladiator fights in the mainland, they turn a blind eye to Haermir. Additionally, Military personnel are forbidden from fighting in gladiator fights and violators are often punished with a court marshal. Because the majority of men eighteen to forty are in the military, many industrial jobs are preformed by women. While this has led to any non-military professions jokingly referred to as "women's work" by some, it has also lead to women being treated more or less as equals in civilian life. Although not mandatory, women have been allowed to serve in all ranks of the military for roughly a hundred and fifty years. However there has long been a history of discrimination as many commanders have reservations regarding co-ed deployment. Despite anti-fraternization laws, there has been history of incidents within the military including rape, pregnancy, and in some cases desertion. Regardless, women still make up around twenty percent of Hetrea's army. Category:Estreoth Category:Countries